How would you describe your book? A lighthearted Christian romance that deals with some deeper subjects, including a past we aren’t proud of.

Do you have a favorite character? Yes, Charlotte, the main character. I grew quite fond of her as I wrote this novel.

What gave you a passion for writing Christian Romance novels? I couldn’t find romances I liked to read. Most of them were too bawdy, and I couldn’t identify with the main characters because they behaved in a way I never would. So my favorite romance novels were the Jane Austin type. I wanted to created romances that were more like those in tone. However, each of my main characters lives life around their faith. It’s what drives everything they do.

Where do you get your ideas from? My imagination! From the time I was very young, I made up stories to entertain myself. As I got older I began to write them down.

How has your experience been with self-publishing? It has been great! I sent my novels out from time to time and they would get a lot of interest, but would never make it through the final stage of approval. I always felt one editor liked them and one didn’t, and the one who didn’t had more seniority. I’d asked people in my writers group and friends to read my novels, and they liked them a lot, so I knew they had merit. I was sure there was an audience for my books. I just needed to find them.

Do you have any advice for up and coming authors? Join a writers group and take their comments and critiques seriously. Develop a tough skin and keep trying to improve your writing. If you can’t get the attention of a publisher, consider self-publishing an e-book. It’s much lower cost than hard copies and easier to market.

What is the best compliment you have received? My favorite compliment came from a young man who read Crispens Point. He said it was his first ever Christian novel. He pointed out a few things he didn’t like about it (clearly he had not read romance novels before either), but in the end he gave it five stars because it kept his interest to the end and he really enjoyed it. It was fun to win a convert to Christian novels and romance novels in one fell swoop!

How have you gone about marketing your books? If you have more than one e-book, make one of them free. It helps get the word out about you. I have given away thousands of copies of Crispens Point and it is generating interest in my other books.

Author Bio: JoHannah is the managing editor of ChristianBibleStudies.com, an online Christianity Today Bible study site where more than 100,000 leaders, students, and teachers come to learn and apply God’s Word. Besides co-writing and editing nearly 1,000 Bible studies, JoHannah has written seven novels, a children’s devotional, ghostwritten two books, written content for the Couples’ Devotional Bible, and contributed to two separate Bible study series published by Standard and Thomas Nelson. She has been published in several magazines and on numerous websites. She is also a contributing editor for Kyria.com, an online site for women who want to go deeper in the Lord. JoHannah is a pastor’s wife, the mother of three, and a grandmother—all three her favorite roles in life, even though she’s crazy about her work.